Dem Prosecutor Ronnie Earle Indicts Ham Sandwich

Not an unexpected move from ultra partisan Puke of Earle to indict Tom Delay on one count of conspiracy. Word from sources is the indictment is extremely weak at best a temporary irritant for DeLay.

Sept. 28 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. Representative Tom DeLay, the No. 2 Republican in the House, was indicted by a Texas grand jury on a single count of criminal conspiracy.

DeLay, 58, who faces up to two years in prison, will temporarily step aside as House majority leader, he said in a statement. House Speaker Dennis Hastert said he will recommend that

Representative David Dreier of California replace DeLay, the Associated Press reported.
Two former campaign aides, John Colyandro and Jim Ellis, were also charged with conspiracy by the grand jury in Austin, Texas, according to the indictment.

The indictment stems from a grand jury investigation into alleged use of illegal corporate contributions by DeLay's political action committee, Texans for a Republican Majority, in the 2002 races for the state House of Representatives.

Decide for yourself, the text of the indictment is here

This is the wake of call for Republicans to get agressive and fight back. It's time they realize that the left will stop at nothing to retrieve their power.

Beware, the "bed wetting" Right (you know who you are) already screaming the sky is falling. Don't be fooled, if those on the right don't panic and use their god given spines, they can prove this to be nothing more than petty partisan gutter politics instigated by a frustrated and bitter left.

Update: Mark Levin's take: Here's my first take on this indictment (I've only read the indictment and nothing more for now): The indictment is three pages in length. Other than a statement that "one or more" of 3 individuals, including Tom DeLay, entered into an illegal conspiracy, I can't find a single sentence tying Tom DeLay to a crime. That is, there's not a single sentence tying DeLay to the contribution. The indictment describes the alleged conduct of two other individuals, but nothing about DeLay.

You would think if Ronnie Earle had even a thin reed of testimony linking DeLay to the contribution, it would have been noted in the indictment to justify the grand jury's action. Moreover, not only is there no information about DeLay committing acts in furtherance of a conspiracy, there's no information about DeLay entering into a conspiracy. I honestly believe that unless there's more, this is an egregious abuse of prosecutorial power. It's a disgrace. I understand that not everything has to be contained in an indictment, but how about something! Posted at 01:58 PM

UpdateII: Although I couldn't disagree more, in the interest of fairness I feel it neccessary to provide an opposing view on this matter from Rusty at Jawa.

UpdateIII: It apears the the American people are beginning to pick up on what many of us on the right have understood from the beginning.....

Growing Number Say DeLay Charges Politically Motivated

September 30, 2005--On the second evening following the indictment of House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, a growing number of Americans believe the charges against the powerful Republican are politically motivated.

On Wednesday night, 43% said the charges were based upon the facts involved while 31% said they were politically motivated.

On Thursday, following a full day of news coverage, 37% said the charges were based upon the facts while 39% said they were politically motivated.

Fifty-six percent (56%) of Americans say that DeLay is about as ethical as most politicians. Seven percent (7%) say he is more ethical than most, 20% say less ethical. Those numbers are similar to perceptions of Bill Clinton in the late 1990s.

Although I am not a huge DeLay fan, I must give him a lot of credit for the politically savvy way he is handling this. He got out in front of this story hitting Hume, Mathews, H&C and the radio circuit before the Dims. He has defined the ground rules and defended himself well. The Bush PR team could take a lesson from him.

There are several blogs who have done an excellent job reporting on this and I suggest you visit them all. Here are a few, they're informative, entertaining and worth the time.

WuzzaDem
My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy
WILLisms
CaliforniaConservative